Oct 06 Watch 6:54 Should the U.S. keep a significant military presence in Afghanistan? By PBS News Hour With a surge by the Taliban and the Islamic State's entry into Afghanistan, does the future role of the U.S. military in that country need to evolve? Judy Woodruff talks to Scott Smith of the United States Institute of Peace… Continue watching
Oct 02 Pentagon considers protecting Syrian rebels from Russia By Robert Burns, Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press The Pentagon is grappling with whether the U.S. should use military force to protect U.S. trained and equipped Syrian rebels now that they may be the targets of Russian airstrikes. Continue reading
Aug 22 New Army chief weighing decision on women in combat By Robert Burns, Associated Press The Army's new chief of staff, Gen. Mark Milley, is taking a calculated approach to arguably the most consequential decision of his early tenure - whether to recommend that any all-male combat roles remain closed to women. Continue reading
May 29 The U.S. military plans to use this small island for target practice By Megan Crigger The Pentagon plans to turn a small, volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean into a live-fire training ground for the U.S. military, although the residents of nearby islands object. Continue reading
May 07 Watch 3:24 Author Emma Sky on the fateful mistakes made after the Iraq invasion By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Mar 30 Pentagon chief considers relaxing age restrictions for military enlistment By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press ABINGTON, Pa. -- Saying the military needs to do more to compete with corporate America for quality recruits, Defense Secretary Ash Carter opened the door Monday to relaxing some enlistment standards -- particularly for high-tech or cyber security jobs. Continue reading
Mar 26 Is bureaucratic red tape hindering how special ops can do its job? By Ken Dilanian, Associated Press An Associated Press investigation reveals that government bureaucrats have blocked several requests by Army special operations troops for software they say they need. Continue reading
Mar 22 ISIS publishes online hit list of US service members By Daniel Costa-Roberts An online group that calls itself the Islamic State's "Hacking Division" has published profiles of 100 U.S. service members, including their names, photos and purported home addresses, encouraging its "brothers residing in America" to kill those named on the list. Continue reading
Feb 17 Ash Carter pledges ‘candid advice’ after taking oath of office By Nedra Pickler, Associated Press Ash Carter, sworn in Tuesday as President Barack Obama's fourth secretary of defense amid multiple global threats, pledged to offer his most candid strategic advice and carefully consider decisions about sending troops into harm's way. Continue reading
Jan 26 Female guards at Gitmo file discrimination complaints By David Dishneau, Associated Press Some female soldiers at the Guantanamo Bay prison have filed equal opportunity complaints challenging court orders barring them from jobs that would require touching detainees while escorting them to hearings and attorney-client meetings, a military judge said Monday. Continue reading